BJP not worried about MNS impact in Mumbai: Shelar

Shelar added: “We will not go to the MNS for support. MNS was a closed chapter for the BJP and its allies after it was categorically stated by both centre and state leadership.”

The Mumbai BJP chief said the BJP and Sena were confident of winning all six Lok Sabha seats against the Congress-NCP combine. When BJP and Shiv Sena are contesting three seats each in Mumbai, the Congress is contesting on five, and NCP on one seat.

In 2009, Congress won five seats and NCP one. The BJP-Sena alliance had lost all six seats because of the vote split caused by MNS.

Even though the MNS had put a spanner in BJP-Shiv Sena’s prospects during the last elections, Shelar said the BJP was not worried at all about the impact of the MNS this time.

Refusing to be drawn into a debate on the impact Raj Thackeray and his party would make, Shelar said the “BJP-led grand alliance was confident of wresting all six seats in Mumbai.”

On March 3, former BJP national president Nitin Gadkari had met Raj urging him not to field MNS candidates in the LS polls in a bid to ensure there was no division of Marathi votes. When asked about the necessity for the Gadkari-Raj meet if the party was not concerned about the MNS impact, Shelar said all parties and leaders were free to meet leaders from the other parties.